EXPERIENCES OF A LONE GEOGRAPHER
troops and immedi
a t e ly returning to
Szechwan, armed with
a letter from me ex
plaining their presence
in Kansu territory, in
case they were stopped
by hostile soldiers.
The Kansu authori
ties have been exceed
ingly kind and courte
ous to me. In every
town I have entered I
have been given a
royal reception, troops
lining up, and band
pla yin g, the chief
mandarins coming out
with their red um
brellas, and mounted
police often meeting
me20milesoutofa
town and escorting me
to tents which have
been erected, where re
freshments are served.
From Pikow to Kai
chow is five days' jour
ney and from there to
Minchow (not to be
confused with Mien
chow of Szechwan) is
seven days.
In the
latter city I stayed
four days in a mer
chant guild where the
officials had prepared
CIO
excellent quarters for
The women wear
me.
Minchow is full of
Mohammedans and many of them are
robbers. I was warned to be careful and
not to go out in the evening without a
bodyguard of soldiers.
TWE\;,LE MEN TO BE SIOT FOR ATTACK ON
EXPLORER
The house in which I lodged was
guarded day and night by 30 men, and
yet on the second night Mohammedan
robbers came and climbed upon the roof
of the building, with the evident intention
of overpowering my guard and robbing
me.
The soldiers were on the alert, how
ever; the ringleader and four men were
Photograph by Frederick R. Wulsin
NI TIBETANS BRINGING IN FUEL
gowns of cream-colored homespun and bright-red
trousers.
captured. The prisoners were brought
into the courtyard and bound to posts,
where I interviewed them the next morn
ing. The officials of Minchow were quite
upset about this incident and strengthened
the guard.
The captured men were taken in charge
by the military, who beat them with
bamboo until they confessed and gave the
names of the others of the band and the
whereabouts of their headquarters. The
next day their stronghold, four miles
from Minchow, was raided by soldiers
and seven other robbers were brought in.
They were all to be shot after I had left
Minchow.
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